Ana De Armas is reportedly in talks to play the lead role in the upcoming John Wick spinoff, Ballerina.
As reported by Deadline, the Knives Out and No Time To Die actress could be set to star in the film, which will centre around a young female assassin who is motivated to seek out the people responsible for killing her family and bring them to justice.
The character that the spinoff will follow has actually previously been seen in the franchise before. As the anticipated spinoff's title suggests, the film will be based on the ballerina briefly seen in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum who at the time was training to become an assassin.
If De Armas is to play the ballerina in the spinoff it will mark a change in actor, since American ballet dancer Unity Phelan portrayed the character in John Wick 3.
Ballerina was first rumored to be in the works in 2017 when it was reported that Lionsgate had come out on top in the race for the rights to make the movie. As part of Deadline's article, the outlet suggests that the budget for the film could be somewhere between $50-80 million, though notes that it's still unclear as to whether Keanu Reaves will make a cameo appearance.
As previously reported by Deadline, the film is set to be directed by Les Wiseman, while its script is being written by Shay Hatten. The American screenwriter has an impressive resume behind him, having already worked on John Wick: Chapter 3 as well as Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead.
Ballerina isn't the only John Wick spinoff currently in the works. Lionsgate is also expanding the franchise through The Continental – a prequel series set 40 years before the events of the movies. It was recently reported that The Continental will be a limited series with three 90-minute specials. While fans' hopes for the show remain high, the series sparked discussion on social media recently as it was reported that controversial actor Mel Gibson would play a starring role.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.